Anti-corruption group set to train govt officials on international vessel boarding standards

The Maritime Anti Corruption Network (MACN) has stated the need to train officials of government agencies involved in vessels clearance in Nigerian ports.

The training which is slated for the first quarter of 2022, according to the group, would be a holistic one with the aim of engendering efficient system in the port

Speaking at a recent function, Olusoji Apampa, one of the coordinators stated that the group has been assisting the Nigeria Port Project Manual (NPPM) to achieve its objectives in the port

He added that the upcoming training is another measure to help upgrade the personnel to international standards

Recall that the group had boasted in an interview that it’s initiative had helped to reduce drastically the incidents of extortion of foreign vessels in Nigeria.

His words, “As for the NPPM, we work hand in glove and part of the support we give them is that all vessels coming to Nigerian waters should give advance notification and that is one of the things we are pushing which NPPM has taken onboard

“NPPM has also requested training for all the people boarding vessels in Lagos, Port Harcourt,Calabar ports and we are now developing training for that

“They also made specific request for training on the international standards for both vessel clearance and cargo clearance and what is the behaviour of public official supposed to be and the training will happen first quarter next year. This is part of the way we have been supporting the NPPM.

“The training is holistic and it is going to cover government agencies and the bottom line is to have an efficient system in the port.”

He added that plans are underway to make incursions into the cargo clearance to help sanitise the sector, having recorded successes on the vessels side.

“We also have a project to see if we can take the same successes and repeat it on the cargo side. So, we are new on the cargo side,” he maintained.